Since Steph Korey ’15 founded Away with Jen Rubio in 2015, the company’s travel bags have become the “it” luggage. Photographs of Hollywood A-listers wheeling the signature carry-on—complete with a pop-out battery for charging devices—appear in magazines, and social media influencers post pictures of themselves in picturesque locales with Away duffels and backpacks. Korey and Rubio met while working at Warby Parker, the eyeglass company that disrupted the industry by selling directly to customers, and set out to do the same for luggage.
At Warby Parker, says Korey, “I learned so much about working at a fast-growing, direct-to-consumer brand, and about how to build a supply chain from the ground up.” Away has since grown exponentially; in May it hit a key milestone when it closed a $100 million funding round and passed the $1 billion valuation mark. For Korey to accomplish all this means having both structure and flexibility in her day. Here, in her own words, is a day in the life of Away’s co-founder and CEO.
